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By Benjamin Makafui Attipoe, Dzodze
The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, has noted that sports and education are not separate tracks. He therefore stressed the need for young sports men and women to be guided to balance their talents with education, emphasizing that the future belongs to those who combine skills with knowledge.
Mr Debrah made the call in a speech read for him at the 7th annual Duamenefa Regional Sports Tournament and Durbar at Dzodze in the Ketu North Municipality of the Volta Region.
Duamenefa which literally means, ‘Let us co-exist in peace’, has, for the past seven years become a household name and slogan not only across the Anlo State but also beyond.
Under the Duamenefa Foundation and the Sesi-Edem Company Limited in collaboration with the Tanko Foundation, the Duamenefa Foundation has been using sports to preach peace and also unity to inspire development using its more than 48,000 membership strength across the Volta Region and beyond.
This year’s durbar and the grand finale of the tournament was held under the theme, ‘Creating a Society for Equal, Fair and Equitable Access to Basic Necessities’. It was aimed among other things at raising funds to build an AstroTurf in the southern part of the region.
The sports tournament featured disciplines such as tug of peace, soccer and volleyball as well as a marathon race amongst others. The Banana Inn Football Team from Accra and the Aflao-Viepe Football Club from the Ketu South Municipality clashed in the final match where Banana Inn lost 2 goals to 1 to their rivals from Aflao.
A number of individuals, organizations and institutions that distinguished themselves in the tournaments journey over the years were honoured with items such as sewing machines, medals, citations and other valuables.
The Chiefs of Staff, Julius Debrah used the occasion to also call for the appropriate investment in education, leadership and technical training for the benefit of the bright sons and daughters of the Volta Region.
The Presidential Envoy in-charge of interfaith and ecumenical bodies, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah read the Chief of Staff’s address at the function.
‘We must invest in education, leadership and technical training so the bright sons and daughters of the Volta Region will not only compete on the pitch but also sit on the table where decisions are made, projects are planned and investments are negotiated’, the Chief of Staff stressed.
Mr. Debrah commended Duamenefa Foundation for the laudable initiative, adding that the country needs peace not only during elections but also at all times in order to ensure total development. Mr. Debrah stressed the need for sports and culture to be used to heal divisions and to remind the citizens that no community can develop in isolation.
The Volta Regional Representative on the Council of State and CEO of the Tanko Foundation, Gabriel Tanko Kwamigah-Atople pledged the commitment of his Foundation towards the realization of the Duamenefa vision and agenda which do not only include sports promotion and development but also community and human development through sports tournaments such as this.
He stressed the need for other philanthropists, corporate bodies and institutions to be brought on board towards the realization of the objective and vision of the region.
Mr. Kwamigah-Atople used the occasion to plead with the political leaders of the region to eschew what he described as petty rivalry and instead foster unity among themselves. According to him, it is only in peace and co-operation that the true progress of the region can be achieved. ‘Let this celebration and the Duamenefa spirit mark the beginning of a renewed covenant among our chiefs, our forerunners, our political leaders and our people to stand together as Voltarians and not as fragmented people’, the Council of State Member emphasized.
The CEO and Executive President of the Duamenefa Foundation, Evangelist Emmanuel Ketaman Evortepe noted that since its inception a couple of years ago, the Duamenefa Foundation together with the other key stakeholders have chalked several successes including securing foreign teams for some young talented players abroad as well as providing scholarship opportunities for a number of youth for educational and skills empowerment.
He commended the Tanko Foundation, the Sesi-Edem group of Companies as well as other stakeholders including the sons of the region as well as government officials from the region to the Presidency for their support and encouragement in nurturing this dream to this far.
Mr. Evortepe disclosed that as part of the desire to build an AstroTurf stadia for the Volta Region, a plot of land has already been acquired for that purpose, saying the time for any meaningful collaboration to achieve this vision for the region is now.
The Regional Minister, James Gunu and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ketu North, Eric Edem Agbana pledged their commitment towards the laudable vision and mission of the Duamenefa Foundation and its partners.
They stressed the need for the citizens of the region to support such an initiative that would transform the development of sports and its infrastructure in the Ketu North Municipality and the Volta Region at large.
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